The Best New Ways to Make Money Part-Time, Ranked

THE GIG IS UP OR DOWN

The gig economy continues to proliferate, providing countless part-time jobs for those seeking to supplement their income. But is it working? A 2017 Pew Research Center study found that nearly one in ten Americans has generated income using a digital platform, but 29 percent have performed work for which they did not receive payment, and 23 percent of Americans feel these jobs allow companies to take advantage of workers. Here are 12 popular employers of freelance workers ranked with the top contenders first, followed by those where you might want to proceed with caution.

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AIRBNB

Airbnb is the frontrunner among platforms offering extra income. According to Airbnb, nearly half of all hosts make more than $500 per month. The advantage of using Airbnb is that it gives you full control of rental prices, house rules, and how you interact with guests. The downside of the platform is that some critics have complained about guests causing damage -- and a complicated and slow process for filing claims.

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ROVER

Walking a dog can be fun and relaxing, so why not make money doing it? Nearly half of American households own at least one dog, according to dog care service Rover.com. Annyah Hasler of Philadelphia says she makes nearly $3,000 a month working as a dog walker and sitter through the site. The now-retired radiographer started working with the platform part-time in 2015 to make extra money, and has since transitioned to full-time dog walking.

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LYFT AND UBER

Harry Campbell, known as The Rideshare Guy, has published a book detailing what people should know before driving for companies like Lyft and Uber. Campbell says providing rides through these platforms pays an average of $15 to $20 per hour before expenses. "The nice thing about driving is that especially in the bigger cities, it's always busy," said Campbell. The downside is that drivers tend to put a lot of miles on their cars. Also, if you provide rides on weekend evenings, you'll likely be dealing with an intoxicated customer or two.

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TASKRABBIT

From assembling furniture to closet organization, TaskRabbit lets people hire others to do small jobs for cash. The site is ranked second highest in terms of pay in a study of the gig economy by Earnest Operations, with workers averaging about $380 per month. Workers are notified of potential jobs in their area and can choose which ones they want. Signing up for TaskRabbit, however, is not as easy as some other platforms, and requires attending a local onboarding session.

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DOORDASH

When not driving for Lyft or Uber, Harry Campbell works for DoorDash providing food delivery for area restaurants and other merchants. "You can listen to a podcast or music while working, since some of the time is spent waiting in line for food or in the car," says Campbell, who makes between $60 to $80 per four-hour shift. Drivers are paid weekly via direct deposit, plus get 100 percent of tips, and make an average of $229 per month.

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GREENPAL

Think of GreenPal as the Uber of lawn care. It allows workers to average around $55 per hour mowing lawns, says co-founder Zach Hendrix. "Many of our lawn care vendors are part-timers. They use our app in the summer to make extra money," said Hendrix. GreenPal workers set their own hours and pick the clients for whom they want to work. But take note: while this gig can be good exercise, it requires hard physical work.

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POSTMATES

Postmates offers on-demand delivery of food, groceries, alcohol and more, and workers earn an average of about $174 per month. However, the median pay for Postmates workers is about $70 per month. Though it's not one of the highest paying part-time jobs, there are no fees involved to sign up or required time commitments. Earn on your own schedule and take home 100 percent of what you make every time a delivery is completed. It takes about four to five days for the payment to be deposited into your account.

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FIVERR

Fiverr is a freelancing marketplace offering small jobs done for $5, though bigger jobs priced higher are available. Workers can offer any service they choose via Fiverr, as long as it's legal and complies with site guidelines. There are more than 100 skill categories on the site and service providers are allowed to set their own pricing anywhere from $5 to $995, but must offer three versions of their service at three different prices. The average income for those using Fiverr is $103 per month, though the site's $5 fee concept may be frustrating for those hoping to earn more.

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ETSY

Etsy, an e-commerce site for arts and crafts, is used by nearly 30 million buyers around the world who spent more than $2.8 billion on cat sculptures, handmade earrings, and other doodads last year. That doesn't mean sellers are getting rich, however. According to Earnest Operations, Etsy sellers make an average of $151 per month, and only about 1 percent make between $1,000 and $1,499 per month. Etsy also charges a 3.5 percent transaction fee on sales.

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UPWORK

Upwork specializes in connecting skilled freelancers with work in web development, writing, sales and marketing, and more. Among the top paying opportunities on Upwork are network analysis ($200 per hour), computer vision ($145 per hour), and hardware prototyping ($130 per hour). All work done via Upwork includes payment protection, ensuring workers get any money earned for work successfully completed.

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CAVIAR

Food delivery service Caviar allows workers to deliver food using their cars or bikes. The site says its workers earn up to $25 per hour, and money earned is deposited weekly. Caviar couriers are paid a task-based fee for each successful delivery, and the service operates seven days a week from 8 a.m. until 11:30 p.m. One drawback of Caviar is that it is currently only available in about one dozen cities across the country. Also, landing a Caviar gig is a process requiring an interview and an in-person session.

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GETAROUND

Getaround offers peer-to-peer car sharing, allowing car owners to rent their vehicles for $5 an hour or more. Participants can make more than $800 a month by becoming renters. The plus side? Sharing a car takes approximately 10 cars off the road, which means less pollution and traffic. The potential downside: trusting strangers with your vehicle.

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